Advice on a tricky kitchen layout?

4 years ago

last modified: 4 years ago

We bought this house that was built in the early 80s about a year ago. These photos are the listing photos, but the layout is basically the same. We did take out the oven/microwave combo because the oven stopped working about a month after we moved in. We've also scraped the popcorn ceilings, and our fridge is counter depth so it doesn't stick out quite as much.

We definitely want to move the location of the stove and have played with the idea of knocking out the wall between the kitchen and the dining room (the blue room, not the one with the bay window). I know the corner sink is a "love it or hate it" kind of thing, but we actually really like it where it is.

What would you do to improve the flow?

Updating the cabinets in some way, updating the backsplash and countertops, and replacing the sink and light fixtures are definitely in the plan.

*Please excuse me very, very rudimentary mockup of the space layout.

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Comments (6)

kandrewspa
4 years ago
It's great that you have lived there a year before remodeling to give yourself time to figure out what you like and don't like about the space. What is in the empty square in the center of your drawing? What would opening the wall between the kitchen and dining room gain you? If you have another less formal eating area, this is the area you want your kitchen opening to. Anytime you remove a wall you remove the ability to have upper cabinets, so if you're giving those up you should be getting something else you value in return. Can you mark on your drawing which rooms are next to the kitchen? It's not clear to me which wall you're thinking about removing.
mcarroll16
4 years ago
I'm having a hard time understanding your diagram, so I can't give specific ideas. Just a couple of general comments on improving flow.

1. #1 problem for flow in your current layout is the DW between the sink and the cooktop. I've had a corner sink, and it was great. But in this case I would move the sink in order to get it between the DW and the cooktop.

2. Corner cooktop seems more problematic. Do you need a double oven? If not, consider moving to a range to give yourself more options for cooktop placement.
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anj_p
4 years ago
I would not remove that wall. I would trade the cooktop for a range and move the DW to the other side of the sink as @mcarroll16 suggested.

Removing the wall just makes your kitchen smaller with fewer places to put your range.
Kaitlin
Original Author
4 years ago
Thanks, all. I've updated the diagram to give a fuller picture and added an x to the wall we were thinking of opening up. I'm glad we've lived with it for a while too, because we still can't make our minds up. 🙃
decoenthusiaste
4 years ago
How many times a week, a month, a year do you eat in the formal dining room? How many family members do you have? A better floor plan with measurements and actual locations of appliances would be more helpful. Are you going to demo all the cabinets? If so, you might not miss the uppers if there are any on the dining wall. Drawers will be the key to efficiency, organization and accessibility.
User
4 years ago
do you know why there is a angled wall behind stove? Is this an added area to a home hiding hvac or plumbing. It just seems strange with a dining room right next to kitchen. Just wondering could it be hollow (an 80s design choice) to have a trend angled sink stove. If its hollow, then you can reclaim the area and have a traditional L shape kitchen.